Pentagon: Presence “light” in Iraq

Testifying before Congress, on Thursday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford stated that the Pentagon’s proposed 2020 budget will support an “enduring presence” of troops in Iraq that’s “slightly less than the forces that are on the ground right now.”

The comments from Marine Gen. Dunford, indicate the US plans to let Iraqis shouldering a larger burden of mopping up after whatever is left of Jihadists in-country.

President Donald Trump’s remarks, last month, that the US forces at Iraq’s Al Asad Air Base were there to “watch” Iran, seem out of tune. These led to infighting in Iraq. Dunford said in a prepared statement that the United States plans on “leveraging a relatively small footprint of US forces to enable local partners throughout the world.”